A WOKINGHAM Christian Minister has warned many Americans will turn to alcohol and substance abuse as they struggle to come to terms with the horror of September 11.

Tom Chacko made the grim prediction on his return from the devastated ‘ground zero' in New York, telling of the "shock and grief" he had witnessed.

Mr Chacko, from Luckley Road, Wokingham, left Britain on October 3 to spend two weeks in Manhattan, offering spiritual advice to those whose lives were affected by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

As a member of the Evangelical Alliance and a freelance advisor to the Christian Embassy to the UN, Mr Chacko took church services and lectures investigating conflict resolution.

He visited the scene of the atrocity and spoke of the mood of the New Yorkers in the aftermath.

He said: "The site cannot be avoided and it's still smouldering.

"Rescuers are still picking up body parts but they are very resilient.

"The psychological effect is still being felt and the threat of biological warfare is becoming a concern — the people fear fear itself and are very worried about security.

"The physical impact is also huge — the attack affected a large area of ground causing devastation at the heart of Manhattan."

Mr Chacko said grief was widespread as World Trade Center victims were from 64 nationalities including 700 Muslims.

He said: "People are still in shock as they can't believe their loved ones have died but believe they are only missing.

"There is a lot of community spirit and camaraderie and some shops are giving away free food."

Mr Chacko personally knew 12 people who were killed in the tragedy, including a mother from a recently migrated Swedish family who worked on the 88th floor of one of the Twin Towers.

She left behind a girl aged 10 and five-year-old boy who were "still going through denial".

Mr Chacko said: "When the attacks were launched on Afghanistan, American people accepted it was against terrorism, not Islam.

"Even though some people sold T-shirts with ‘Wanted: Osama Bin Laden, Dead or Alive', we also prayed for him as he is a human being too, even though he may be the worst example of one.

"The heart of the human problem is the human heart — basic insecurities and selfishness.

"We're not all born evil so there is something wrong with the human heart and religion is often used as a scapegoat.

"I think we're set to see far more of this poison as no legislation can be made against the human self."

Mr Chacko will be returning to New York early next year.

His past projects have included helping to raise funds for the Gujarat earthquake and advising people in Russia about youth issues.

Mr Chacko's next mission will be lecturing on culture and religion at Nigerian universities on November 24.